I am about to embark upon a new Anderson experience. Despite the fact that I am now 51 and have loved the works of Gerry all my life. I have never seen The Secret Service because it was never shown in London. But that's all about to change. I have just spent a week in the Scottish highlands, and before I went I ordered the dvd of the series from Play.com, and upon my return this evening I found it waiting for me on my door mat. At long last Father Unwin here I come.

I hope you enjoy it, john61. Luckily I live in the Midlands so fortunately The Secret Service was on ATV back in 1969. One of my favourite of Gerry's series (just one poor episode in my opinion - I wonder as you're watching them you will agree with me as to which one!) Repeated as late as 1975 on Granada and never seen since - IMO it's well overdue for a network showing on BBC2.

I must say I am delightfully satisfied with The Secret Service. Because I've waited so long to see it, I'm not rushing it. I'm savouring every episode. I always felt it would be similar in feeling to Joe 90, and I was right. It has that same pleasant air to it. But now I'm finally watching it and seeing how enjoyable it is, I'm even more puzzled as to why it was never shown in London. I think it would have been well received here.

And I'd like to plug Fanderson's CD of music from the series. Perhaps not quite as 'large scale' as many other scores Barry Gray did for Gerry Anderson, but still with that unmistakable Gray 'sound'. There is a quiet jazziness about much of it, with the bass and brushed drums etc. Love it.

Everyone I've interviewed who's worked on it has had nothing but good words to say about the series. They enjoyed working on it, most of them thought it should have been given a chance with more episodes.
It didn't appeal to me as much as the earlier series when I was younger, but I appreciate it more now.

Finished disk one now. Really taking my time over this. I've waited long enough to see it, so I'm certainly not going to rush it. I can't for the life of me fathom out why this remarkable little gem was never shown in London. It can't be because it was feared too few people would watch. Does anyone know, is this the only Century 21 production set in the current time? Looking at it, everything indicates it's set in the time it was made. Car number plates and current models and what have you. Also I was surprised to see a Securicor van featured in an episode instead of a fictional security company. One thing made me laugh. One episode had a lot of it set in Esher, just up the road from me. All I can say is Esher must have changed a lot since the late 1960's, and so has the A30. I drive on that road often and it doesn't look anywhere near as charming as it did in that episode. It's a lovely series and I'm looking forward to disk two.

Was Crossroads to crime an actual Century 21 Production? I haven't seen Supercar for so long, I clear forgot about what time it was set in. I'll have to watch it again, memory of it is sketchy. But the rest of Secret Service first.

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